Fire-escape.



PATENTED SEPT. 18, 1906.

I No. 831,462.

J. N. NOYER. FIRE ESCAPE. APPLICATION FILED RR. 2; 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOSEPH N. NOYER. orGoULn CITY, WASHINGTON.

' FIRE-ESCAPE.

. Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 18, 1906.

Application at April 2. 1906. Serial No- 309,446.

I do declare the following to be a full, clear,

and exact description of the invention, such aswill enable others skilled in the art to which it a pertains to make and use the same.

y invention relates to improvements in automatic fire-esca es by means of which,

persons may lower t emselves in safety from a burning One object of t e invention is to provide a device of this character which may be convenientl mounted within a building and which will e entirely automatic in operation.

I Another object of the invention is to pro;

vide a device of this character with an alarm mechanism which will be set in operation as one of the inmates of the building uses the fire-escape, so that others will be notified of the danger.

A further object of the invention is to. improve and simp the construction and operation of devices this character, and thereby render the same more efficient, safe, and du- .the door of the box or casing rable in use and less expensive to manufacture.

With the above and other objects in view my invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination, and arrangement of devices hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a. perspective view of the box or casing in which my improved fire-escape is inclosed.

F g. 2 is a front elevation of the fire-escape, being open. Fi s. 3 and 4 are elevations o sid es of the mechanism, and Fig. 5 is a top plan or end view of the mechanism.

Referring to the drawings b numeral, 1 denotes a suitable supportmgame for the mechanism of my improved fire-escape, which frame may be secured by screws, bolts, or other fastenings upon the wall or ceiling of a building adjacent to a window or upon any other suitable support. As shown, this frame 1 consists of a vertically-disposed baseplate 2, having its vertical edges bent upwardly to form parallelsides 3. Mounted between the sides 3 adjacent to their lower ends, is a windingm 4, which is secured by a cross-pin to a shaft 5. The latter has its the opposite ends extending through bearing-openin s in the sides 3, and upon one of said en s is loosely mounted a ear-wheel 6. This gearwheel 6 has pivoted upon its outer face, as at 7, an automatic dog or pawl 8,.which engages and coacts with aratchet-wheel 10. The latter has its hub secured to the end of the shaft 5 by a cross-pin or the like, as shown. The

gear-wheel 6 meshes with. a smaller gear or pinion 11, secured to or formed integral with a gear '12. The wheels or gears 11-12 are mounted to rotate u on a stub-shaft 13, which has a olygona portion at its end to engage a similar 0 'ening in one of the sides 3 and also a screw-t eaded portion at said end to receive a nut 14, which secures it upon said side 3. The wheel or gear 12 meshes with a pinion 14', secured upon one of the outer ends of a shaft 15, which extends through bearingopenings formed in the upper portion of the sides 3. This shaft 15 carries a governing and braking device 16, which consists oftwo or more lon 'tudinally-ext'ending springs 17, each of whic has one of its ends secured to a fixed collar or hub 18 upon the shaft 15 and its op osite end similarlysecured to the collar or hu 19, which is adapted to slide longitudinally on the shaft 15, and which carries a brake wheel or disk 20. The sliding hub or collar 19 is caused to rotate with the shaft 15, but is free to slide longitudinally on the same I y providing a crosspin 21 in the shaft 15 and having the ends of said pin roject through slots or openings 22. Upon t e central lportions of the s rings 17 are secured weigl ts 23, which are adb ted to fly outwardl as t e shaft 15 is rotated and move the op lar 19 and its brake-disk longitudinally on the shaft. The brake-disk 20 is secured to the outer end of the'collar 19 and is disposed adjacent to one of the sides 3, upon which latter is secured by bolts, rivets, or the like a bracket 24, which 1s formed with a segmentalshaped brake-surf ace 25. The latter 1s spaced from the side 3 and is in the path of the inner face of the brake disk or wheel 20, so that as the latter is moved inwardly when the shaft 15 rotates rapidly the inner surface or face of said disk will engage the stationary brakesurface 25 of the bracket, as will be readily seen upon reference to Fig.2 of the drawin s.

In order to sound a fire-alarm to warn t e occupants of agbuilding while the device is in o eration, I provide upon one end of the shaft 15 a cam-wheel 26. The cam 27 upon this wheel is adapted to strike and operate a spring-arm 28 as the shaft rotates. This arm 28 is secured upon the outer face of one of the sides 3 and carries a bell-hammer 29, which strikes a bell 30, also secur id upon said side 3. The resiliency of the spring-arm 28 holds the hammer normally away from the bell and its upper end in the path of the cam 27, so that as the shaft 15 rotates the hammer will strike the bell upon each rotation.

I preferably inclose the above-described mechanism in a' box or casing '32, which is open at its back and adapted to fit over and to be removably secured upon the mechanism. This box is thus. supportedby providing upon the inner faces of the sides of the box forked brackets 33, which are adapted to fit over headed screws or studs 34, provided in the support upon which the frame 1 is mounted. The front of the box is closed by a door which is hinged along one side, as at 36, and has upon the center ofthe inner face of its bottom an inwardly-projecting pin or stud 36,which is adapted to enter a similarly-arranged opening 37 in a swinging forward section 38 of the bottom of-the box. The bottom of the box consists of a rear stationary section and the swin ing forward section 38, which is hinged to t e stationary section, so as to swing. downwardly by gravity when the door 35 is opened and the in 36 disengaged from the opening. 37.

his swinging bottom section is provided to permit of a direct'pull upon the rope, cable, chain, or other flexible connection 40,.which is wound upon connected to its free end one or more belts, baskets, or other suitable devices adapted to support one or more persons. As shown, the rope 40 has attached to its free end slip loops or belts 41, which may be passed around the bodies of the persons who are to use the fire-escape.

device to be used repeatedly, I provide a upon it.

crank-handle 42, by means of which the drum 4 may be rotated to rewind the. rope The crank-handle 42 is disposed upon the outside of the box or casing and has oneof its ends secured to the projecting end of th shaft.5 in any suitable manner. he rovision of the pawl-and-ratchet connection etween the gear 5 and the shaft permits the latter, and hence the drum 4, to rotate with: out o erating the gearing between the shaft 5 an the brake-shaft 15, as will be readily understood. K

From thefore oing description, taken in connection witht e accompan drawings,

-- the construction and operation 0 the inventi'on w ill be readily understood without requiring a more extend d explanation.

the drum 4. Said rope 40 has- In order to permit the Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing an of the advantages 0 this invention as de ed by the appendedclaims.

Having thus I claim as new, and desire to secure by ters Patent, is-

1. A fire-escape apparatus comprising a frame or support, in, a shaft journaled in said frame, a train of gearing between the latter and said Windlass, a collar or sleeve slidably but non-rotatably mounted upon said shaft, spring-stri s connected to said collar and to said sha t, centrifugal weights upon said strips, africtiondisk carried by said sleeve or collar, and a friction brake device carried by said frame and spaced therefrom to .coact described my invention, What a wmdlass mounted ,therewith said friction-disk, substantially as described.

2. A fire-escape apparatus com rising a supporting-frame consisting of a ase an parallel sides, a shaft journaled in the sides of said frame, a drum secured to said shaft, a flexible connection wound u on said drum, a gear upon said shaft, a paw and ratchet between said gear and said shaft, a second shaft in the sides of said frame, gearing between the second shaft and said gear, a colla or sleeve slidably but non-rotata upon said second shaft, spring-strips secur to said collar or sleeve and sald second shaft, centrifugal weights u on said splring-strips, a friction-disk carried y said co ar or sleeve, a bracket attached to one side of said frame and having a se face in the path 0 said frictiondisk, substantially as described. 3. A fire-escape apparatus comprising a frame or support, a windlass mounted therein, a shaft journaled in said frame, a train of gearing between the latter and said Windlass, a collar or sleeve slidabl mounted upon said sha nected to'said collar and to said sha t, centrifugal weights upon said strips, a frictiondisk carried by said sleeve or collar, a stationary friction brake device frame and spaced therefrom to coact with said friction-disk, and an alarm device actuated by said shaft, substantially as de scribed.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set but non-rotatably sprin'g-stri s 0011- carriedby said 1y mounted mental friction brake-surmy hand in presence of two subscribing wit- DBSSBS.

. A'rrwoon A. KIBBY, FRANK Mnssnnenn. 

